The autumn edition of IUCN’s long-standing forest conservation publication Arborvitae will explore the latest challenges and future prospects for implementing REDD+ strategies that address the needs of the poor.

In the autumn Arborvitae issue, IUCN connects with REDD+ experts from across the globe to understand some of the most challenging poverty-related questions facing REDD+ implementation. The issue will trace and evaluate the evolution of global and national-level “pro-poor” REDD+ efforts that have been focused on addressing how forest-dependent communities can benefit the most from REDD+.

Other articles in the issue will explore the latest implementation challenges related to integrating benefit sharing and rights-based approaches into national REDD+ strategies. Case studies from Vietnam, Papua Province in Indonesia and Uganda will also provide concrete examples of some of the most critical issues facing REDD+ countries.

In a special section on multi-stakeholder REDD+ processes, the issue will connect with a range of stakeholders, including indigenous peoples and civil society, to understand their concerns related to REDD+, and hear what they feel they have gained from their engagement in REDD+ readiness and implementation efforts.

Feature Interview with former REDD+ Partnernship Co-Chair
ArborVitae’s autumn issue catches up with former REDD+ Partnership co-chair, Robert Bamfo, Head of Climate Change for Ghana’s Forestry Commission. In this exclusive interview, Mr. Bamfo shares his views on how REDD+ can address the needs of the poor, and how the REDD+ Partnership is supporting those efforts. Below is an excerpt from Mr. Bamfo’s full interview, which will appear on the back cover of the autumn issue.

In your opinion, how central is addressing poverty in REDD+ readiness and implementation efforts?Our local communities and people are largely dependent on the forests for their livelihoods. For this reason, the REDD+ process should focus on both the carbon and non-carbon benefits to be derived from protecting the forests as a way of mitigating the impacts of climate change, conserving biodiversity, ensuring food security and reducing poverty. These benefits should be realized at both the readiness and implementation phases of the REDD+.

Is it possible to achieve REDD+ without putting poverty at the centre of all efforts?The challenge of REDD+ is to meet the poverty needs of the local communities who see the forest as their main source of livelihoods. For any REDD+ activity to be sustainable and effective, alternative livelihood schemes should be put in place to address the socio-economic needs of the local communities in order to reduce pressure on forests for their survival.

arborvitae Issue 44 - Forests: a legal challenge

Photo: IUCN/FAO

Robert Bamfo, Head of Climate Change for Ghana’s Forestry Commission, and former REDD+ Partnership Co-Chair